Rediscovering the Sabbatical & Jubilee years Through the Tombstones of Zoar
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The confusion about when to keep the Set-Apart times began during those turbulent Maccabean years, peaking with the destruction of the Temple and continuing past the Great Disappointment of the Bar Kochba Revolt. During these 400 years and more, it was conceived, locked in, and then redacted.
The Changing of Appointed Seasons and Commandments
Daniel 7:25 tells us he will change the appointed seasons and commandments. Many assume Constantine did this when he made Sunday the Sabbath. Few have considered the calendar’s many changes and how they relate to us today. Hidden in this proverbial swamp of confusion is the truth about the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Sabbatical and Jubilee years reveal the truths about the calendar that have been hidden for almost 2000 years.
He Shall Change Times and Laws
More Than Just Tombstones
The calendar issue is a proverbial swamp of mixed ideas and outright false teachings. I certainly did not want to dive into that cesspool of confusion when I began writing this book. The more I began to explain each of the Tombstones of Zoar, the more I found myself explaining why and when things were changed. To understand how the Sabbatical and Jubilee dating became confused, I had to explain how the calendar was gradually changed over almost 1400 years.
Benedict Zuckermann (1818–1891), a Jewish scientist from Breslau, believed that the Sabbatical Cycles began anew after the Babylonian exile. He authored the first modern treatise on the Shmita, but he chose to exclude it when faced with contradictory evidence.
Ben Zion Wacholder (1924-2011), Professor Emeritus of Talmud and Rabbinics at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, examined the tombstones accessible to him and found they did not align with his chronology. He also excluded those that contradicted his understanding.
Since the discovery of the tombstones from Zoar, the Lots Cave Museum, located at the southern edge of the Dead Sea, has recovered over 400 Greek and Aramaic tombstones that were taken from Zoar (Zoora), noted as the largest cemetery in the ancient world. By examining 72 tombstones referenced in research papers and museums, we gained insights into their calendrical codes. This research uncovered 40 tombstones that can be linked to 32 other Sabbatical and Jubilee years recorded in Biblical history and archaeology, confirming the specific timing for observing the Jubilee years.
Historically, Jews have utilized different methods for counting, not always adhering to a system that begins from Creation. The present Hebrew year system is relatively modern, and the calendar itself has undergone changes throughout the last 2000 years, which may surprise many individuals.
To grasp our current situation, we need to analyze historical facts without forcing them into our preconceived frameworks. By examining the evidence chronologically, we will finally come to terms with how near we are to the conclusion of the sixth millennial day.
The Stones Cry Out was originally going to be one book explaining all the various proofs we have discovered, demonstrating when the Sabbatical and Jubilee years occurred throughout history.
As I began to write The Stones Cry Out, I quickly found myself going back, time and time again, to explain how the calendar contributes to the confusion of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Rabbis, as they began to write the Mishnah, incorporated misunderstandings, and those errors were written into what became known as the Talmud and then the Mishneh Torah. The expulsion from the land and subsequent persecutions to send messengers to report the barley being found or the crescent moon being seen proved to be increasingly dangerous over time. All of these events took place over 14 centuries.
Then, while I was working on The Stones Cry Out, I discovered that many people were now accepting the Zadok calendar as factual. This is when we pivoted to include all the details of the various calendars that have crept back into public knowledge today and are used to mislead new learners about the calendar. All of this was directly connected to the period starting with the Hasmonaeans up to the destruction of the Temple. Then, with the compiling of the Mishnah, the studies that led to the writing of the Jerusalem Talmud, the Babylonian Talmud, and finally the Mishneh Torah, each added error is compounded over time.
The Stones Cry Out, Part 1 explains the history of how each compilation of the Oral Torah incorporated errors, leading its followers away from the actual Torah. By understanding these facts, it becomes possible to more readily grasp how the Sabbatical and Jubilee years were mixed and later changed. By explaining all this history, I aim to help you, the reader, understand the tombstones when most authorities do not. They have assumed, to their error, that the Hillel calendar has always existed since Mount Sinai. Not understanding the history of the calendars is why most authorities dismiss the tombstones as too confusing to use. Once you understand The Stones Cry Out Part 1, Part 2 will be very easy to grasp.
In The Stones Cry Out Part 2, we examine five Jubilee records and explain how to align all of them within the boundaries of Genesis 6:3 and the 120 Jubilee cycles mentioned there. We continue to examine another 63 records from history showing when they recorded Sabbatical years at that time. We also document a number of tombstones that do not have enough information to draw thorough conclusions, but we did not remove them because they did not match. Further interpretation may produce results in the future to help us understand better. My goal was to compile all the evidence for the Sabbatical and Jubilee years in one place for all future researchers in their research.
Genesis 6:3 informs us that mankind will experience 120 Yovel, or cycles of time. Additionally, Daniel 9:24 reveals that the Nation of Israel will undergo 70 Shabua (which is 70 X 49) as a people. A Shabua is related to Shavuot, or 49 days which tells us they had 70 Jubilee cycles. By understanding the timing of these Jubilee years in history, we can accurately count all 120 and determine our current position in relation to the onset of the 7th millennium.
Once you identify the timing of each Jubilee year and incorporate historical context into these cycles, they begin to unveil crucial prophetic events. The midst of the 70th week serves as a prime example. Understanding this initiates the countdown of end-time events, emphasizing the importance of this knowledge.
Don’t hesitate—start your journey toward grasping these incredible truths today!
Why is the Yovel so Important?
Joseph F Dumond
I began this walk in 1981, learning about the Sabbath and Holy Days with the Worldwide Church of God. I was just three years married then. I will be 46 years married in 2024, and my wife is still not a believer. In the winter of 2005, I was challenged about the crescent moon to begin each month, and the barley to start the year. I began to obey by Passover 2005. That same week, Yehovah showed me the Sabbatical and Jubilee years and how to prove them. I switched from the Worldwide Church of God in 1994 to being on my own for seven years. When 9/11 happened, I began to attend the United Church of God. Once I learned about the Sabbatical years, they asked me to leave in 2006. My ministry began in August 2005.
With each tour I gave in Israel and with each Holy Day I taught, I learned more and more every year about the deeper meaning of all the Holy Days and how they were connected to each other and the Land of Israel. The Holy Days, the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, and the Land of Israel together reveal prophecy at a level I had never heard of. The Key to Understanding all end-time prophecy truly is by understanding the Yovel cycles along with the Holy Days.
All of my books have been written to try to show the reader these truths and help them understand by drawing closer to Yehovah. We are near the end of this age. I am getting old. Learn these truths for yourself and then teach them to others. There is so much more to discover. Those with a firm foundation will be some of the best teachers soon. Thank you for allowing me to share with you what I have come to learn. Yehovah bless you with His understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. May He show you favour by giving you more wisdom into His Torah.